The new Christmas movie from director Michael Showalter, Oh. What. Fun., tempts the audience to roll their eyes almost immediately, laying on the theme that being a mother at Christmas is a thankless task thick. But as the first act progresses, it becomes clear that a simple “thank you” or “can I help” from her family isn’t enough: Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) should be given a gun.
Since it’s the holiday season, can the terminally online please inform their luddite (affectionate) family members that I am referencing a meme, and am not actually advocating for violence? I am simply impressed by how effectively the Prime Video ensemble comedy presents Christmas as a pressure cooker that brings all of the every day motherhood stresses to a head because, in preparing for the holiday, they multiply. Plus, as she notes in the film’s first few minutes, holiday movies love to center a man’s emotional growth and take the women in the picture for granted.
